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They were very slow to respond to emails, spread their initial interest over many months, ignored emails to meet when both parties happened to be in the same city and finally did not have the balls to say no (more ignored emails) Had to find out from a separate source their interest was over.

Whilst this behavior is par-for-the-course for most VCs, it is in stark contrast to many of the glowing comments here.

Posted by
European-entrepreneur
on 2008-02-18

PUBLIC:

We negotiated for three months. Right when we thought we had a deal they came up with 5 more things they wanted to see changed. That was the end of the deal for us.

But...

We DID like their vision and they way to worked with us. Too bad we couldn't close. Mauro is the silent smart guy and Mark the loud and sharp guy in the room. Mark will shout 'That is bullshit' halfway during your presentation. This freaked me out at first but after a while I started to get used to it and found out he was actually right.

Posted by
Ramblas
on 2008-01-09

PUBLIC:

Mangrove embraced our vision and had the courage to back us at a very early stage. They have been with us every step of the way since with extremely practical advice and support. Mark Tluszcz and Mauro Mariani stand out as straight talkers you can trust, and the diversity of the team brings value across the board.

For early stage companies, Mangrove stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Posted by
jscohen99
on 2007-11-03

PUBLIC:

Again not to repeat all but the thing I really appreciate about Mangrove is the big-picture, long-term perspective as an investor. They focus on the important stuff that matters to value creation rather than being reactive to day to day challenges. They're also also pragmatic as hell.

Posted by
stokols
on 2007-10-09

PUBLIC:

I have been very impressed - one of the few VC's where egos are left home and full focus and respect is given to the entrepreneurs. These guys bring top notch intellect in the consumer space, and totally focused on supporting their portfolio companies. Mark Tluszcz makes himself 100% available for support, contact and advice.

Posted by
mgertner
on 2007-08-08

PUBLIC:

I won't reiterate all of the comments others have left here. Suffice to say that I agree on all counts. I would single out two aspects of working with Mangrove that I particularly appreciate. One is the fact that they are willing to think for themselves, avoiding the herd mentality that is so prevalent in the VC community. The other is that they have provided a huge amount of valuable input to help us grow our company: technical, marketing, financial, etc. We feel like we have an additional set of smart and experienced guys (beyond our management and employees) who we can turn to give advice when needed.

Posted by
jberrebi
on 2007-07-30

PUBLIC:

Our partnership with Mangrove came as a result of our first fundraising round. We had several other offers (some of them rather larger, financially, than Mangrove's) but we eventually chose Mangrove, and we haven't regretted it for a second since!

Besides from being a purveyor of funds, they were lovely to deal with both during the round and afterwards - no-one else we dealt with displayed as much ambition and international vision as they did. We were looking for someone who would act as a partner as well as a mere fundraiser, and we haven't been disappointed. They really care about enhancing the company rather than just maximizing profits - as things stand now, we still regularly ask for and receive advice from them, and we hope to continue to do so in the future.

Posted by
Ajax
on 2007-07-20

PUBLIC:

I knew these guys for about 3 years before I pitched my latest company. They are great guys who are sincere and not just driven by maximizing returns, but by enhancing the company they invest in. European VCs have a different take on the process than American VCs I think...basically they are less likely the screw the entrepreneur and work together. let's face it, for most US VCs, young entrepreneurs are expendable. Not so with Mangrove. Before we even closed I was invited to their annual entrepreneur get together which was an amazing event where I learned a ton from people like the CTO of Skype. Mark, the managing partner, calls me with helpful advice, while never talking down to me. He is always available to bounce things off of, and their involvement got an All Star to join my board.

We shall see how the process goes, but I feel great about my decision and my company's future with Mangrove involved.